#poodles sloane | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

annarellix · 1 year

Photo

The Sister Effect : A Novel by Susan Mallery

Susan Mallery’s newest hardcover is an emotional, witty, and heartfelt story of Finley who is raising her niece because her long-addicted sister, Sloane, abandoned her. When Sloane reappears, eager to build a relationship with her daughter, Finley will struggle with forgiveness, the ties that bind a family together, and the fragility of trust.

Finley McGowan is determined that the niece she’s raising will always feel loved and wanted. Unlike she felt after her mom left to pursue a dream of stardom and her grandfather abandoned her and her sister Sloane when they needed him most. Finley reacted to her chaotic childhood by walking the straight and narrow—nose down, work hard, follow the rules. Sloane went the other way. Now Sloane is back, as beautiful and damaged as ever, and wants a relationship with her daughter. She says she’s changed, but Finley’s heart has been bruised once too often for her to trust easily. With the help of a man who knows all too well how messy families can be, Finley will learn there’s joy in surrendering and peace in letting go.

Mallery, with wisdom, compassion and her trademark humor, explores the nuances of a broken family’s complex emotions as they strive to become whole, in this uplifting story of human frailty and resilience.

The Author: SUSAN MALLERY is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship and romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations," and readers seem to agree—forty million copies of her books have been sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.

Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband. She's passionate about animal welfare, especially that of the Ragdoll cat and adorable poodle who think of her as Mom.

SOCIAL LINKS: Twitter: @susanmallery Facebook: @susanmallery Instagram: @susanmallery Author website: https://www.susanmallery.com/

BUY LINKS: Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-sister-effect-susan-mallery/18611717?ean=9781335448644 B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sister-effect-susan-mallery/1141741087?ean=9781335448644 Books a Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Sister-Effect/Susan-Mallery/9781335448644?id=8318065423495 Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1335448640?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwsusanmalle-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1335448640

EXCERPT:

Chapter One

Finley McGowan loved her niece Aubrey with all her heart, but there was no avoiding the truth—Aubrey had not been born with tap dance talent. While the other eight-year-olds moved in perfect rhythm, Aubrey was just a half beat behind. Every time. Like a sharp, staccato echo as the song “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic played over the dance studio’s sound system.

Finley felt a few of the moms glance at her, as if gauging her reaction to Aubrey’s performance, but Finley only smiled and nodded along, filled with a fierce pride that Aubrey danced with enthusiasm and joy. If tap was going to be her life, then the rhythm thing would matter more, but Aubrey was still a kid and trying new things. So she wasn’t great at dance, or archery, or swimming—she was a sweet girl who had a big heart and a positive outlook on life. That was enough of a win for Finley. She could survive the jarring half-beat echo until her niece moved on to another activity.

The song ended and the adults gathered for the monthly update performance clapped. Aubrey rushed toward her aunt, arms outstretched for a big hug. Finley caught her and pulled her close.

“Excellent performance,” she said, smoothing the top of her head. “You weren’t nervous.”

“I know. I don’t get scared anymore. I really liked the song and the routine was fun to learn. Thank you for helping me practice.”

“Anytime.”

When Aubrey had first wanted to study tap, Finley had gone online to find instructions to build a small, homemade tap floor. They’d put it out in the garage, and hooked up a Bluetooth speaker. Every afternoon, before dinner, Finley had played “Counting Stars” and called out the steps so Aubrey could memorize her routine. Next week the dance students would get a new routine and new song, and the process would start all over again. Finley really hoped the new music wouldn’t be annoying—given that she was going to have to listen to it three or four hundred times over the next few weeks.

They walked to the cubbies, where Aubrey pulled a sweatshirt over her leotard, then traded tap shoes for rain boots. April in the Pacific Northwest meant gray, wet skies and cool temperatures. Finley made sure her niece had her backpack from school, then waved goodbye to the instructor before ushering Aubrey to her Subaru.

While her niece settled in the passenger side back seat, Finley put the backpack within arm’s reach. Inevitably, despite the short drive home, Aubrey would remember something she had to share and would go scrambling for it. Finley didn’t want a repeat of the time her niece had unfastened her seat belt and gone shimmying into the cargo area to dig out her perfect spelling test. Going sixty miles an hour down the freeway with an eight-year-old as a potential projectile had aged Finley twenty years.

“We got our history project,” Aubrey announced as Finley started the car. “We’re going to be working in teams to make a diorama of a local Native American tribe. There’s four of us in our group.” She paused dramatically. “Including Zoe!”

“Zoe red hair or Zoe black hair?”

Aubrey laughed. “Zoe black hair. If it had been Zoe red hair, my life would have been ruined forever.”

“Over a diorama? Shouldn’t your life be ruined over running out of ice cream or a rip in your favorite jacket?”

“Dioramas are important.” She paused. “And hard to spell. We’re going to pick our tribe tomorrow, then research them and decide on the diorama. I want to do totem poles. The different animals tell a story and I think that would be nice. Oliver wants a bear attacking a village, but Zoe is vegetarian and doesn’t want to see any blood.” Aubrey wrinkled her nose. “I eat meat and I wouldn’t want to see blood either. Harry agrees with me on the totems, but Zoe isn’t sure.”

“So much going on,” Finley said, not sure she could keep up with the third-grade diorama drama.

“I know. Could we stop at the cake store on the way home? For Grandma? She’s been sad.” Aubrey leaned forward as far as her seat belt would let her. “I don’t understand, though. I thought being on Broadway was a good thing.”

“It is.”

“So Grandma was a good teacher for her student. Why isn’t she happy?”

Finley wondered how to distill the emotional complexity that was her mother in a few easy-to-understand concepts. No way she was getting into the fact that her mother had once wanted to be on Broadway herself, only to end up broke and the mother of two little girls. The best Molly had managed for her theater career was a few minor roles in traveling companies. Eventually motherhood and the need to be practical had whittled away her dream until it was only a distant memory. These days she taught theater at the local community college and gave intensive acting classes in her basement. It was the latter that had been the cause of her current depression.

“Her student wasn’t grateful for all Grandma did for her. When she got the big role, she didn’t call or text and she didn’t say thank you for all of Grandma’s hard work.”

Molly had not only found her student a place to stay, she’d worked her contacts to get the audition in the first place. Finley might not understand the drive to stand in front of an audience, pretending to be someone else, but if it was your thing, then at least act human when someone gave you a break.

Finley glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Aubrey’s eyes widen.

“You’re always supposed to say thank you.”

“I know.”

“Poor Grandma. We have to buy her cake. The little one with the sprinkles she likes.”

Finley held in a grin. “And maybe a chocolate one for you and me to share?”

“Oh, that would be very nice, but we could just get one for Grandma if you think that’s better.”

Finley was sure that Aubrey almost meant those last words. At least in the moment. Should she follow through and not buy a second small cake, her niece would be crushed. Brave, but crushed.

Nothing Bundt Cakes wasn’t on the way home, but it wasn’t that far out of the way. Finley headed along Bothell-Everett Highway until she reached Central Market, across from the library. She turned left and parked in front of the bakery. She and Aubrey walked inside.

Her niece rushed to the display. “Look, they have the confetti ones Grandma likes. They’re so pretty.”

The clerk smiled. “Can I help you?”

“A couple of the little cakes,” Finley told her. “A confetti and a chocolate, please.”

Aubrey shot her a grateful look, then tapped on the case. “Could we get a vanilla one? I see Mom on Saturday afternoon. I could take her a cake.”

The unpleasant reminder of Aubrey’s upcoming visitation had Finley clenching her jaw. She consciously relaxed as she said, “It’s only Wednesday. I don’t know if the cake will still be fresh.”

“Just keep it in the refrigerator,” the clerk told her. “They’re good for five days after purchase.”

Aubrey jumped in place, her enthusiasm making her clap loudly. “That’s enough time.” She counted off the days. “Thursday, Friday, Saturday. That’s only three days. Mom will love her little cake so much.” She pressed her hands together. “Vanilla is her favorite.”

Finley told herself that of course Aubrey cared about her mother. Most kids loved their parents, regardless of how irresponsible those parents might be. It was a biological thing. Sloane was doing better these days. Maybe this time she would stay sober and out of prison. Something Finley could wish for, but didn’t actual believe.

Finley nodded at the clerk. “We’ll take all three, please.”

Aubrey rushed toward her and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Thank you, Finley. For the cake and coming to my performance and helping me practice.”

“I seem to be stuck loving you, kid. I try not to, but you’re just so adorable. I can’t help myself.”

Aubrey laughed, looking up at her. Finley ignored how much her niece looked like Sloane—they had the same big blue eyes and full mouth, the same long curly hair. Aubrey was a pretty girl but like her mother, she would mature into a stunning woman one day, as had her grandmother Molly before her. Only Finley was ordinary—a simple seagull in a flock of exotic parrots.

Probably for the best, she told herself as she paid for the cakes. In her experience beautiful women were easily distracted by the attention they received. Little mattered more than adulation. Relationships were ignored or lost or damaged, a casualty of the greatness that was the beautiful woman. Finley, on the other hand, could totally focus on what was important—like raising her niece and making sure no one threatened her safety. Not even her own mother.

“What is it?” Jericho Ford stared at the picture on the tablet screen. The swirling tubes of metal twisted together in some kind of shape, but he had no idea what it was.

“The artist describes this creation as the manifestation of his idea of happiness,” Antonio offered helpfully.

“It looks like a warthog.”

“It’s art.”

“So a fancy warthog.”

“It’s on sale.”

“I don’t care if it’s left on the side of the road with a sign reading ‘free.’ It’s ugly and no.” Jericho looked at his friend. “Why would you show that to me?”

“You said you needed some pieces for your family room.”

“I meant a sofa and maybe a bigger television.”

“You could put this on the coffee table.”

“That’s where I put my beer and popcorn.” Jericho pointed to the tablet. “If you like it so much, you get it.”

Antonio’s brows rose. “Absolutely not. My house is all about midcentury modern these days.”

“The warthog isn’t midcentury enough?”

“No.” Antonio slapped the tablet closed and put it in his backpack before removing two gray subway tiles and setting them on Jericho’s desk. “I want to make a change in the kitchen backsplash for number eleven.”

Antonio pointed to the tile on the right. “This was the original choice. I like the shine and the texture, but I’ve been thinking it’s too blue.” He tapped the tile on the right. “This has more green and goes better with the darker cabinets in the island.”

Jericho loved his job. He built houses in the Seattle area, good-quality houses with high-end finishes and smart designs. They sourced local when possible, had a great reputation and frequently a waiting list for their new-construction builds. Castwell Park—the five-plus acres he’d bought in Kirkland, Washington—had been subdivided into twenty oversized lots where Ford Construction was in the process of building luxury houses.

Jericho enjoyed the entire building process—from clearing the land to handing over the keys to the new owners. While he’d rather be doing something physical with his days, he was the site manager and owner, and all decisions flowed through him. Including tile changes suggested by his best friend and the project’s interior designer.

“Those tiles are the same color,” Jericho said flatly.

Antonio grimaced. “They’re not. This one—”

“Has more blue. Yes, you said.”

He grabbed the tiles and walked out of the large construction trailer set up across the street from the entrance to Castwell Park. He’d made a deal with the owners of the empty lot to rent the space while construction was underway. When his crew finished the twentieth home, he was going to build one for the lot’s owner. Jericho didn’t, as a rule, build one-offs, but it had been the price of getting a perfect location for the construction trailer, so he’d made an exception.

Once out in the natural light, he rocked the two tiles back and forth, looking for a color difference. Okay, sure, one was a little bluer, but he doubted five people in a hundred would notice. Still, Antonio’s design ideas were a big reason for the company’s success. He had a way of taking a hot trend and making it timeless.

“Email me the change authorization and I’ll okay it,” Jericho said, handing back the tiles.

“I knew you’d agree. These will make all the difference.”

“No more changes on house eleven or twelve,” he said, leading the way back inside the trailer. “The designs are locked in and we’ve placed all our orders.”

“I know. This is the last one.” Antonio smiled. “Besides, I’ve already checked with the distributor and she said it was no problem to substitute one for the other.” He settled in the chair by Jericho’s desk. “Dennis and I were talking about you last night.”

“That never means good things for me.”

Antonio dismissed the comment with a wave. “We’re inviting a woman to our next party.”

Jericho knew exactly what his friend meant but decided to pretend he didn’t. “You usually have women at your parties.”

“A woman for you.”

“No.”

Antonio leaned toward him. “It’s time. You and Lauren split up nearly seven months ago. I know you’re still pissed at your brother, but that’s separate from getting over your ex-wife. They cheated, they’re hideous people and we hate them, but it’s time for you to move on.”

Antonio had always had a gift for the quick recap, Jericho thought, appreciating his ability to distill the shock of finding out his wife and his younger brother were having an affair and the subsequent divorce into a single sentence.

“I’ve moved on,” Jericho told him.

“You’re not dating. Worse, you’re not picking up women in bars and sleeping with them.”

Jericho grinned. “When have I ever done that?”

“You’re a straight guy. Isn’t it a thing?”

“I hate it when you generalize about me because I’m straight.”

Antonio grinned. “Poor you.” His humor faded. “It’s time to stop pouting and move on with your life.”

“Hey, I don’t pout.”

“Fine, call it whatever you want. Lauren was a total bitch and I honestly don’t have words to describe what a shit Gil is for doing what he did. But you’re divorced, you claim to have moved on, so let’s see a little proof.” His mouth turned down. “I worry about you.”

“Thanks. I’m okay.”

Mostly. He hadn’t seen his brother in six months, which had made the holidays awkward. His family was small—just his mom, him and his brother, with Antonio as an adopted member. Gil’s affair with Lauren had rocked their family dynamics nearly as much as his father’s death eight years ago, shattering their small world. Their mother had taken Jericho’s side—at least at first. Lately she’d been making noises about a reconciliation. As Gil and Lauren were still a thing, he wasn’t ready to pull that particular trigger just yet.

“Dennis is a really good matchmaker,” Antonio murmured.

“Did I say no? I’m kind of sure I said no. I can get my own women.”

“Yes, but you won’t.”

“Now who’s pouting?”

The first five notes of “La Cucaracha” played outside, announcing the arrival of the food truck. Antonio’s face brightened.

“Lunchtime. You’re buying.”

“Somehow I’m always buying.”

“You’re the rich developer. I’m a struggling artist. It’s only fair.”

“You have a successful design business. And if that wasn’t enough, your husband is a partner at a fancy, high-priced law firm. You married money.”

Antonio laughed. “Wasn’t that smart of me?”

Jericho followed him out of the trailer. “You would have married him if he was broke and homeless. You love him.”

“I do and now we need to find someone for you to love. Not another redhead. That last one was a total disaster.”

“I’m not sure the failure of our marriage had anything to do with the color of her hair.”

“Maybe not, but why take the chance?”

#women's fiction #blogtour #Excerpt #hqn

1 note · View note

millithsmodsandcomics · 3 years

Text

NEW HAIR SWATCHES UPDATE (2)

Update number two for more hairs, this time by @feralpoodles, @georgiaglm, @candysims4, and @adeafsimmer.

These are NOT mine - if creators want them they can claim them back without even asking me.

Known issue: if the hair had been applied to a sim before updating, it's likely it'll disappear... you will need to go back in CAS and reapply it.

Tagged for genetics (if you downloaded Round 1 before I updated, please redownload, 'cause I had to fix them).

Download below.

HAIRS UPDATED:

By Feral Poodles:

- Adelaide hair

- Anjela hair

- Anna Hair

- Annie Hair

- Ava hair

- Avery hair

- Callie hair

- Charlotte hair

- Cora hair

- Daisy hair

- Diana hair

- Hazel hair

- Heidi hair

- Kalani hair

- Katie hair

- Kayla hair

- Lila hair

- Lucy hair

- Lola hair v2

- Mayor hair

- Mickey hair

- Nia hair

- Olive hair

- Primrose hair

- Ramona hair

- Rosie hair

- Seraphina hair

-Sloane hair

- Sukihair

- Wren hair

By CandySims4:

- Jasper hair

By ADeafSimmer:

- AllyJean hair

- Amy hair

- Chloe hair

By Georgiaglm:

- Olivia hair V1 (Child)

- Olivia hair V2 (Child)

- Poppy Hair V1 (Toddler)

- Laila & Leah hairs (Toddler)

More hairs to come.

DOWNLOAD: GOOGLE DRIVE or PATREON (free).

@maxismatchccworld

#updated hair swatches #sims 4

153 notes · View notes

maskedblackfox · 3 years

Text

Cloud’s list of Lesbian headcanons 2021

I’m a day late for Lesbian Visibility Day, but it’s alright.

List under the cut

DanganRonpa

Byakuya Togami

Aoi Asahina

Mikan Tsumiki

Mahiru Koizumi

Seiko Kimura

Kirumi Toujo

Pokemon

Erica

Daisy

Dahlia

Flannery

Zinnia

Fantina

Caitlin

Elesa

Skyla

Alexis

Olympia

Lillie

Mallow

Olivia

Hapu

Wicke

Lusamine

Soliera

Nessa

Melony

Peonia

Miyamoto/Calamity Jane (Jessie’s mother)

Annie

Oakley

Zoey

Georgia

Serena

Miette

Steven Universe

Pearl

Ruby

Sapphire

Jasper

Bismuth

Eyeball

Jade fusion

Chip Amethyst

Topaz fusion

Hessonite

Rhodenite

Vollyball/ Pink Pearl

Yellow Diamond

Blue Diamond

White Diamond

Sardonyx

Mystery girl

Disney

Raya (Raya and the Last Dragon) (Canon)

Namaari (Raya and the Last Dragon)

Shank (Wreck-it-Ralph 2)

Moana-Lesbian (Moana)

Elsa-Lesbian (Frozen series)

Amity Blight-Lesbian (The Owl House) (Canon)

Emira Blight-Lesbian (The Owl House)

Sisudatu-Lesbian (Raya and the Last Dragon)

Honeymaron-Lesbian (Frozen II)

Vitani-Lesbian (Lion King series)

Judy Hopps (Zootopia)

Lillith Clawthorne (The Owl House)

Dhahabu (The Lion Guard)

Zira (Lion King series)

The Dark Crystal

SkekSa

Onica (Canon)

Tavra (Canon)

Misc.

Hornet (Hollow Knight)

Lady Alcina Dimitriscu (Resident Evil Village) (Canon)

Lena Oxton/Tracer (Overwatch) (Canon)

Traitor Lord’s daughter- (Hollow Knight) (Canon)

Ze'mer the Grey Mourner (Hollow Knight) (Canon)

Sloane (The Adventure Zone) (Canon)

Hurley (The Adventure Zone) (Canon)

Lucretia (The Adventure Zone)

Carey Fangbattle (The Adventure Zone)

Killian (The Adventure Zone)

Rouge the bat (Sonic series)

Rin Kagamine (Vocaloid)

Celeste (Animal Crossing)

Hollyleaf (Warrior cats)

Ivypool (Warrior cats)

Blossomfall (Warrior cats)

Urbosa (Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)

Washimi (Aggretsuko)

Mrs. Astrakhan (Happy Feet)

Cereza/Bayonetta (Bayonetta)

Jeanne (Bayonetta)

Bowsette

Lady Eboshi (Princess Mononoke)

Anna (When Marnie Was There)

Bonus: My OCs

Cloud

Kiburi

Janja

Mlezi

Lillia

Lazuli

Liberty

Dusktail

Scarlet and Cecelia

Baridi

Seafoam

Velvet Heart

Rainbow

Mzuka

Claudia

Sweet Pea

Theodosia

Zelda

Tiana

Uchawi

Ponya

Lussa

Rosa

PeachFuzz

Zodiac

Snowdancer

Starchaser

Lotus

Lillium

Cirrus

Lussien

Malkia

Jioni

Danielle

Marianne

Elsie

Natasha

Rosaria

Pale Wave

Eternal Midnight

Cloudwatcher

Caspian

Matryoshka

Blank

Ziwa(brown) and Radi(gold)

Yuriko

Cypress

Gana

SkekMara

UrNa

UrRem

Unnamed dragon

Unnamed poodle

Suzanne

Namaari

Unnamed fox

Mononoke

Cloud (Pokemon version)

Bambi

Ahadi

Unnamed protogen

#lesbian #lesbian headcanons #lesbian visibility day

14 notes · View notes

ghost-writing · 4 years

Text

The Monster 2/?? - August Walker fanfic

This is a re-post from my other blog... I’ve decided to post my writing on a separate page, it’ll be easier to access like that.

I’ve edited this a little, but there might still be some spelling mistakes & grammatical errors. (English is not my 1st language!) So, if you see something that irks you, please tell me! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PART TWO - Breaking

Word count: 3.2k (The bit below the 2nd gif was labeled “part 2.2″, and titled “Interlude at the office”, but it’s quite short, so I decided to not make it separate anymore.)

Warnings: Sex (unprotected), rough sex, a certain dose of violence (including light choking), SMUT, swearing and bad language. And August Walker. (The Kingstache deserves its own warning.) And it’s probably full of typos and redundancies.

Part one can be found here!

He texted her around midnight. He had tried to not give in, resisted for almost a week, but he needed to let some steam off tonight. And he thought he liked her, which was angering him even more. She was a good investigator: smart, could think outside the box, and did not take shit from anyone, not even him. He used to like that about Sloane: she commanded respect. She did not deserve it, though. He did not know yet if Annie Franken did, he had not scratched under the surface enough. But after the month he had spent here in Brussels, he could say that he almost enjoyed working with her. At the very least, she made this dull case more acceptable. He had been offended when Sloane had given him the assignment. He felt it was an insult to his previous accomplishments. And the case would last months. At least, he’d get to travel around Europe. And since that night, he thought she was another perk.

Less than five minutes into his first meeting with the captain, he had requested to see the whole team’s files. He wanted to know exactly who he was working with, especially as it was his first time working with the Nexus. The man in charge had refused, but he went higher to get them, and he got them. Detective Franken’s dossier was heavier than the others, almost as thick as the captain’s. Apart from the chief, she had been there longer than everyone on that team, which was why she was in charge, and his direct liaison officer.

She had been in a little more trouble than the others, too. Nothing important: some insubordination (from what the redacted report seemed to say, she had been right, and her senior officer got fired shortly afterwards), and a one-time misconduct while handling a criminal in her care (he was lucky to still be alive, but he had it coming). He smiled thinking about the pics of Denizio, the “victim”: covered in bruises and scratches, a couple of deep bites, a dislocated shoulder, and multiple fractures (nose in two places, left side of his face smashed in, seven ribs, and right ankle). He was impressed: she was a fighter, and a nasty one. He had searched for the video of the incident, but had not got to it yet. He didn’t doubt that the evidence had been deliberately lost, to avoid her too much trouble.

The file also contained a lot of praise: from her former chief in the federal police, and her current one. Thinking back of his first meeting with the man, all these compliments, the twinkle in his eyes: the captain admired her, maybe even had a crush on her. August understood the appeal: good at her job, and a nice rack. Maybe too virtuous, at first sight, but he could smell that there was something hidden under the surface of that porcelain skin. Something wicked. He could see it as clearly as his own darkness.

So he stole her psych evaluations, and got disappointed when he read them. All pristine. Not in an obvious, “I’ll tell them what they need to ear” way. She admitted some problems, discomfort, insomnia, anxiety even. But she had a degree in psychology and criminology: she could’ve been faking it. He listened to the tapes: she sounded genuine. Articulate, but still confused by her feelings and reactions at times. Not the reactions of a control freak, just someone genuinely trying to understand herself, and better herself. He particularly disliked the way she was bouncing ideas off the shrink, as if he had been a wall to play against. No, actually, it’s the guy he hated. He either talked too much, or didn’t ask the right questions, the ones he would’ve asked her. And she seemed to like that bespectacled poster boy of blandness. He thought for a moment that they had fucked in his office, but after a really quick check, he found out the man was a closeted gay.

And so, an hour ago, he parked his car in front of her building, trying to calm down after Sloane’s phone call, a fire burning low inside him. He texted: “Are you at your place? Can be there in 10.” He knew she was in: shortly after his arrival, she got out on the balcony, sipping a drink, looking at the horizon, stretching her limbs, trying to unwind after a long day. The answer he got ignited something else in him. “Sure.” Not yes: sure. Sure, you can come over and fuck me. Sure, I’m waiting for you, CIA. Sure. He was panting, raging. He tried to steady his breathing, which took some time. He gripped the wheel tight, his knuckles turning white. Concentrating on the air filling his lungs, then escaping, slowly. Better. Blank face, blank mind, the August Walker way. Never give too much, to anyone. So tonight, he was going to take. And he made himself a promise.“If she has changed from that black t-shirt and sweatpants from earlier, I’ll take everything I want.” He too needed to unwind.

He got out of the car, slowly making his way to the 3rd floor apartment, still breathing in patterns, not to snap too quickly with the pretty doll upstairs. He knocked, looking at the floor. Seconds stretched, and she finally opened the door. She was barefoot, naked legs, dark red satin starting a few inches above her knees. A short kimono, belt knotted tightly around her waist, modestly covering her ample breasts. Sexy, not slutty. He felt his cock twitch. She still sported the same ponytail she had earlier, but she looked younger than at work. Probably the absence of the constantly furrowed brow, which was a common look in those offices, anywhere around the world.

Pushing past her, he entered without a hello. He heard her protest: “I did not invite you in!”, and made his way into the living room.

“I am not a vampire, I don’t need your invitation.” Thinking to himself “What you are wearing is one, anyway.” He heard the door close.

“Yeah, you give more of a werewolf vibe, actually…” His cock twitched again. He turned to face her, menacingly backing her against the wall. “Doll, you have NO IDEA”, he thought.

He towered over her, a nasty look on his face. He was so close she could probably feel the warmth of his chest, though they were not touching yet.

“Don’t you like a wild beast?” He breathed her scent deeply. “Damn, you smell nice, doll!”

“Do I look like a poodle lady?”, she jested.

And all hell broke lose inside of him: he slammed his body into hers, pinning her against the wall, making her gasp from the physical shock. He grabbed her wrist in his left hand, and opened the kimono with the right: she was wearing a dark red satin balconnet bra that barely covered her breasts. He grabbed her ass: a thong. All assorted to the robe. “Something for guests.”

She was pushing her hips towards him: he growled, less than an inch from her mouth now, but instead of kissing her like she wanted him to, he bit her throat and sucked viciously. She yelped : the thought that this man could hurt her, or break her in two with ease, crossed her mind, but she was still aroused. And she could feel that he was too. She could feel his heart beating in his chest. The thought of August Walker having a heart made her chuckle, and he growled some more as a response to her silent joke. She ran her free hand in his hair and, wanting to kiss him, she grabbed him to make him move towards her face. But he snatched her wrist, brought both her arms above her head and held them secure in his gigantic left paw, still nibbling on her throat. He unbuckled his pants with his right hand, undid the zipper, moving away from her just enough to look at her heaving chest, moving up and down rapidly with desire. Her nipples were peaking out of the satin, now, hard as rocks.

He brutally yanked her thong, and she felt the elastic band clap on her hip. She almost told him that those cost a lot of money, but decided it was wisest to just go with the flow, right now. She got distracted almost immediately anyway: he took his cock out and penetrated her without holding back. As she was dripping with anticipation (she had been since receiving the text, to be honest, running to the bedroom to change out of her comfortable sweats, into something more appropriate for a booty call), he slid his entire length inside her with ease, up to the hilt, and stayed still for a few seconds, looking hungrily at her round tits, biting his lips at the sight of her exposed nipples. He let go of her wrists, leaving them tingling with the sensation of blood circulating again in her veins, and pushed the satin robe off her shoulders and arms. She let it slide off her, feeling it brushing the back of her legs as it fell to the floor.

Suddenly, he pushed the vase and the decorative bowl that were placed on the sideboard next to them, sending them crashing down, and lifted her with his other arm to sit her on the wooden piece of furniture, still inside her. He then planted both his hands on the wall, on each side of her head, framing her, leaning in, his forehead touching hers, pushing her shoulders closer against the cold surface, and he started moving his hips, back and forth, between her thighs, wide open for him, increasing the speed every few thrusts. She moaned louder, and tried to grab his shirt to open it.

“Don’t.”

That one syllable made her blood freeze, and she took her hands off him, grabbing the edge of the sideboard outside of her legs instead. He was grunting like an animal, a huge bear completely enveloping her with his frame. She had always liked big guys, she liked feeling small in their arms and under them. She didn’t need a man to protect her; it was more about being shielded from the outside world for a moment, forgetting everything but the man fucking her senseless. And this large grizzly was very good at that, even if he was rough. She liked rough. She preferred a bit of pain than feel nothing at all.

But the bear man was inflicting more than a little pain, now. His eyes were still fixed on her breasts, dark with rage, his thrusts becoming violent. His lips occasionally sucked at her nipples, more often his teeth bit into them, but he was mostly looking at her breathing in and out, slightly smiling when she’d whimper in protest. And as she started to cry a bit louder, a visible grin was adorning his face.

He stopped pumping into her, grabbed her with one arm around her waist, carrying her next to the couch. There, he pulled her off his cock, savoring her gasp, and put her down. Her legs were slightly shaking, but she did not try to hold onto him for balance. She had understood that he was in a foul mood, and did not want to be touched. “Good girl.” But he was still raging, not feeling like calming down, and she would pay the price for it, even if she behaved. But he was sure that she could take it. If she had wanted him to stop, she would’ve fought back, and he’d be in a similar state as that “poor” Denizio guy.

So, instead of feeling sorry for her, he turned her around, bent her over, and parted her legs with his hands, guiding her ankles with a feet. He slapped her ass once, twice, three times. She let a scream escape only with the first blow. He pushed her forward, so that she ended up kneeling on the sofa. But instead of letting her upper chest rest on the back of it, he grabbed the base of her ponytail in his left fist, and yanked, silently ordering her to look at him. And as soon as her eyes met his, he slid his cock back into her, making her moan loudly. He saw fire behind her pupils: she was enjoying this. Thus, he fucked her, hard and fast, into oblivion. And her cries of rapture grew louder and more desperate. He let go of her hair, seizing her elbows instead, pulling her to him, allowing him to go even faster. She came, but it still wasn’t enough for him, so he let go of her arms, and shoved her face in the seat, pushing her back with both hands. She was screaming now, her petite body jerking with each thrust. He slapped her ass some more, leaving big red marks on her pale, soft flesh, and vigorously took hold of her waist, knowing perfectly well he’d leave bruises, feeling pride at the thought.

She felt him withdrawing, turning her around to face him. She was a rag doll in his hands, unable to think for herself. Not once had she fought him, asked him to stop. She thoroughly loved being used by him. He could take whatever he wanted, right now. And he did: he bottomed out into her, making her howl, a throaty wail after her prior screaming, and pinned her down with his hips. His right hand lifted her leg up, allowing him deeper access into her cunt, and his left hand caught her throat. The surprise of his touch made her climax, her whole body shaking, her eyes rolling in her head, her back arching, her walls clenching on him. Thereby, he huffed and puffed as his own orgasm built, and swore profusely as he pulled out of her to come all over her belly and her breasts.

Both out of breath, they looked at each other, panting, completely spent. She saw a light in his eyes, hoped he would just collapse on top of her, and finally kiss her, but in an instant, his expression changed. He got up, tucking himself back in his pants, rearranging his clothes, smoothing his messy hair. And without one last look at her, he got out, his words slapping her face.

“See you at work tomorrow, Franken.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The day had been long, just like the rest of the week. She still couldn’t sit down without wincing. She couldn’t sit down at all the first day. And she had to wear a fucking turtleneck to hide the bite marks and the hickeys he had adorned her neck with. Her whole body was covered in bruises, purple finger prints on her wrists and forearms, on her hips, on her ass. She was raging inside, and he was there, working like absolutely nothing happened.

He did not avoid her, they still exchanged about the investigation, they had prepared a necessary trip to London. But it felt different than the week before, the week after that first night. Before, she had noticed his gaze, a furtive smile; once, he even had asked her if she wanted tea. But now, he was distant. Or maybe she simply wanted him to be closer.

She was angry about all the marks left on her, and she definitely would’ve preferred to be able to sit normally, but it was the way he left that hurt the most, and how he acted now. She wasn’t a fuck toy to discard after use. She didn’t want a relationship, she just wanted him to acknowledge her existence in a decent way. Say hello, and kiss her before, during and after making her climax like she hadn’t in a long, long time. She could’ve been nice to him too, reciprocate. Because whatever August Walker tried to pretend he was, deep down, he was human too. Probably. Or maybe he was just a psycho.

She could see some signs: the manipulation, the violence. She wasn’t sure about the lack of remorse or guilt. She felt he was wearing a mask, not just covering up a mistake. Doing what was expected of a cold, calculated man. But she had seen glimpses of humanity in him. He had grabbed a fantasy book left by Simon on his desk, and had smiled as if remembering the first time he had read it. She heard him hum to a song played on the radio while on a stakeout, thinking she was asleep. Not a robot, just a character he was projecting, for protection most probably. She could relate: she had tried that, but could never maintain it for too long. She still joked, she still cared. And she needed to come out for air after keeping a serious face for too long. Just like she could not let him get away with using her like he had, not without saying something.

So tonight, after sending Simon and Niklaas home, she confronted him. He was finishing the cold pizza they had earlier, mumbling about anchovies.

“How did that broom get stuck so high up your arse?”, she asked, a fake incredulous look on her face. He almost chocked on a tiny hairy fish, and he fumed.

“I’d really love to ear that story. Please, tell me how!” She batted her eyelashes, simulating fascination.

“I’m not playing this game with you…” He dropped the slice back in its box.

“No, of course not. I can’t take control of the conversation, that would belittle you, wouldn’t it?”

He remained silent, stood up and walked towards the door. Before he got there, she aimed and fired: “You lost control the other night.”

He stopped in his tracks, turned around.

“I did not.”

“Yes, you did. I had zero control, I left it to you, but you lost it anyway. If you had not lost it, you would’ve pretended. You’re a great pretender, Walker, that’s part of your job. But instead, you acted like a little boy who can’t help breaking his toys.”

“There”, she thought. He twitched when she called him a boy, almost catching fire. And right after, a flash in his eyes. Regrets. Just a hint, before snapping back.

“You enjoyed it.”

“I do like it rough, yes. But I don’t like being treated like a cheap whore.” She got on her feet, moved slowly towards him, stopping just an inch from his tall frame. “I’m not cheap in any way.”

Looking down on her, August wrapped his arm around her waist, resting his hand in the small of her back, drawing her closer to him. Almost tenderly, if it wasn’t for the hardening cock in his pants, rubbing lightly against her belly. He breathed in slowly, before what must have felt to him like spilling his guts.

“Let me take you out while we’re in London. For dinner.”

She pushed away from him, moving towards the door.

“No.” She got out of the office. “See you at work tomorrow, Walker.”

#fanfic #august walker #august walker fic #august walker smut #The Monster #smutty smut

29 notes · View notes

travelingtheusa · 4 years

Text

ALABAMA

1 Jun 2020 (Mon) – We ran a bunch of errands today. Shopped at CVS, WalMart, Publix, the liquor store, and the post office. We also did laundry and stopped at McDonalds for breakfast while waiting for the clothes to finish. We had lunch at an Irish pub, too. They have a patio and we were able to eat outside. I guess that’s the new criteria for picking a place to eat. Our mail was forwarded from Texas and we received it with no problem. We went into the lodge and settled up our bar tab back from the day we were in there for the tornado. I called Memorial Sloan Kettering to have my medication shipped to me but the pharmacist said I had no refills. She would have to call the doctor to get authorization. She never called back so I’ll have to have it sent to me when we get to Indiana.

I finished my 2018 Travels slideshow but now I can’t seem to burn it to a CD. This is so frustrating! I will have to see if Best Buy can help.

We leave tomorrow. We will try to avoid big cities so we don’t run into the rioters that are out there protesting the murder of George Floyd. The country seems to be coming apart at the seams.

31 May 2020 (Sun) – We stayed around the campsite today. A gray dog is now in the yard next door along with one German shepherd. I sat down and wrote letters to the Human Society, the police department, the County Animal Control Division, and the local animal shelter. I hope they can save this dog.

30 May 2020 (Sat) – Paul discovered one of the tires on the RV was low. He filled it yesterday and it lost 10 pounds overnight. He took it off and brought it to a tire repair store. The mechanic said it was a bad valve and replaced it. Hope that does it.

We got to Zoom with Caiden and Miranda today. It was the first time using Zoom and turned out to be pretty easy to use. Travis has been facetiming or calling almost every day to check on us. I enjoy the contacts.

29 May 2020 (Fri) – I asked to have our mail forwarded. It should be Monday or Tuesday. We will leave as soon as we get the mail. We have to be up in Goshen, Indiana by June 8th. Paul wants to stop by Vanleigh Vilano in Tishamingo, Mississippi first so they can take a quick look at the slide out and confirm our problem is a warranty issue. Then it will be a fairly straight up to Indiana.

I picked up garbage along the back and side of the property line. We have spent over two months looking at the stuff and I couldn’t take it any more. I got two garbage bags full. I probably could have gotten three bags of garbage if I wanted to dig into the leaves.

Paul washed the truck and camper today. We are getting ready to move on.

28 May 2020 (Thu) – We took a ride to Sokol Park, the same one we went to with Bonnie a few days ago. But instead of going into the dog area, we hiked a trail through the woods. It was a short one but nice in the trees. It was after 11 a.m. and the sun was hot. Bonnie was soon panting heavily. We didn’t do much more than a mile.

After the park, we stopped at King’s Kitchen for lunch. It was a café with tables on a patio. We sat outside with Bonnie and ordered our meals. Bonnie enjoyed her burger very much. It was a very pleasant change of pace and the food was very southern. Unfortunately, we noticed that they were not wiping down the tables after use. A couple sitting at a table nearby got up and left but the table sat with no cleanup. When we finished, we wiped down our table and hands. Then used sanitizer when we got in the truck.

27 May 2020 (Wed) – We stayed around the camper today. Thunderstorms pummeled us most of the day, sending Sheba deep into the closet.

26 May 2020 (Tue) – Didn’t do much today. It rained most of the day. Paul worked on maps for the New York caravan. I worked on the slideshow for our 2018 travels. This is a very enjoyable project.

25 May 2020 (Mon – Memorial Day) – We had to go shopping today for pet food. Since we were out, we also went to the supermarket and picked up a few things. We also stopped at McDonalds for breakfast. I’ll bet the drive in places did especially well during this pandemic. People who don’t normally eat McDonalds or Wendys or Chick-Fil-A have gone there because delis and cafes have been closed.

Noah called to facetime with us. He’s so funny. I love talking to him. Travis had his in-laws over for a barbecue. His brother-in-law was supposed to come over but didn’t. We just hung around the camper for the rest of the day. The sun is so damn hot! It blazes bright, too. Anything light colored seems to reflect and magnify the sunlight. Walking outside during the day absolutely requires sunglasses. Walking the dog will be reduced to early morning and evening. I imagine the roadway/parking lot gets very hot for her paws. At the height of the day, it feels like standing in front of an oven. The sun is certainly more intense down here in the south. I rarely remember the sun feeling like this back up in New York.

24 May 2020 (Sun) – The day started out overcast and oppressive but cleared up later. I worked on creating a slideshow of our 2018 travels. Paul is still trying to get the 2017 slideshow he did to burn on a disc and make a copy of our 2016 adventures. The technology is very challenging.

23 May 2020 (Sat) – We stayed around the campground today. In the afternoon, thunderstorms rolled in and my phone was dinging with weather advisories. At 8:30 pm, I got another notice. Thinking it was another weather advisory, I half glanced at the notice then sat bolt upright. It was a Public Safety Alert that said “Escaped inmate seen in your area.” It then went on to describe the man. I went to the door and locked it. Paul as quite amused by my reaction.

22 May 2020 (Fri) - We slipped out early this morning and did laundry. There was one woman with a small child and a repairman in the laundromat. After the clothes went into the washer, we drove to Chick-Fil-A for breakfast and brought it back to eat in the truck. There was a lot of traffic on the road. Seems like the whole state has opened up.

21 May 2020 (Thu) – We went to Home Depot today to pick up material for Paul to use in revising Sheba’s perch in the truck. The shelf he has for her now is just a little too small. The new one will accommodate her better. With her spinal issues, she can’t curl into a ball like most cats so we have to make the form fit her straighter posture when she lies down.

The parking lot was pretty full. When we entered, a worker with a cell phone said she had us. She was counting people as they entered the store and entering it into a program. When we exited, another worker counted us. One adds the number of people going in and the other subtracts the people going out. I guess they are keeping the number of people in the store at any one time to a maximum number. Most of the customers were not wearing masks. We wore ours and all the employees had masks on.

Governor Ivey held a press conference today. She announced the openings of businesses and the restrictions that will stay in place. She also said that people have to take personal responsibility for their own safety. I liked that. There are many people who are not at risk for the coronavirus and shouldn’t have to remain at home. Others, like us, are vulnerable and should take precautions to protect ourselves. That is just a fact of life.

There are two German shepherds in the yard of the house below us. Are these the original dogs that were there when we first arrived or two different dogs? Where have they been if they’re the same dogs? Does the guy have a business where he keeps his dogs for guard duty? Hmmm.

20 May 2020 (Wed) – We took a ride around the corner this morning and got the address of the house below us where the man was abusing the dog yesterday. If I see him doing anything like that again, I will call the police.

We took Bonnie and drove to Capitol Park. It contained the ruins of the capitol building that burned down in the late 1800s. I don’t know how you can make ruins attractive but the town somehow managed to do it. There were plaques all around telling the story of the buildings that used to be there. The park was small but neatly kept.

Then we drove to a dog park. It was almost 8 miles away (the UA Arboretum is still closed). It was a very nice park – large, grassy area with a concrete walkway around the perimeter of the park. It lets the owners walk while the dogs play. Unfortunately, there was dog crap all over the place. Apparently, people walk and talk on their cell phones and don’t pay attention to what their dog is doing. No one picks up after their dogs.

There was no sign of either of the dogs in the house below today. They were not out in the yard at all. I am distressed and at a loss at what to do. I think he killed the two dogs. When we first got here back in mid-March, there were 3 dogs in the yard (2 German Shepherds and a poodle) but I haven’t seen them in a while. The 2 that were in the yard yesterday looked like border collies (black and white). I don’t know if I am looking into the yard of a serial killer. I want to call someone but I don’t know who. To make it worse, Paul does not agree that there’s anything wrong and nixed my call. He thinks I have watched too many TV shows about killers.

19 May 2020 (Tue) – A new critter showed up next to our camper today! I was looking out the window when I caught sight of a small creature walking by. I thought it was one of the cats that walk through the area from time to time. There’s Blondie (a yellow tom), Tabby (a gray, striped tabby), and a black and white cat that we haven’t given a particular name to. Anyway, when I looked closer at the gray ball of fur I discovered it was a groundhog. It calmly walked along the edge of the grass, stopping to munch on the greens from time to time. After a while, it went into the bushes and disappeared.

I was very disturbed by an event that took place next door this afternoon. I was outside watching Sheba when I heard a dog screaming. Looking down into the yard of the house below us, I saw a dog running back and forth in terror. Thinking its friend (there were two dogs) was caught in something or facing off with a rattle snake, I strained to see what was going on. The trees and bushes have grown in pretty thick. What I witnessed horrified me! A man was wrestling with a dog who was screaming. Then the dog stopped screaming. The man was kneeling on the dog and smacking it. But the sound it made was not like anything I have ever heard before. It was a kind of popping sound. I yelled out, “Hey! That’s no way to treat an animal!” He stopped hitting the dog but remained kneeling on it. So I suggested that I was going to call the cops. He got up and went into the house but I never saw the dog get up. Later, the man walked back and forth to his shed a couple of times. Neither dog was seen again.

18 May 2020 (Mon) – We went food shopping at Publix this morning. I really liked the assortment of choices. Maybe we’ll make this our regular store. We were both surprised with the amount of food we bought. We didn’t think we needed that much. The cost was over $300! At least they had steaks.

After shopping, we stopped at Another Broken Egg for breakfast. Sitting by the river, eating a scrumptious meal, was so delightful!

This afternoon, we saw a few cars parked over at the lodge. A guy in a pickup drove over and started talking with me while I was outside watching Sheba. He said they opened up today but he wasn’t going in. They never let us know what was going on. They put up signs on the door the last time they were here describing the circumstances of their reopening. One of them says “If you’re sick, don’t come in here!” I thought that was pretty funny. The other signs are just print outs from online that describe recommendations from the CDC and requirements from the Alabama Department of Health. It basically called for a reservation or call ahead system. Sounds restrictive to me.

15 May 2020 (Fri) – We drove to Moundville today and walked around the Archaeological Park. It is an historical area with 29 mounds built between 1200 and 1600 AD. The tallest mound was about 60’ high and had a great view of all the other mounds in the area. It was quite a climb up! Then we walked around the area. It was almost 1.5 miles. Good exercise.

Afterward, we drove around Moundville looking at the area. It is kind of depressed with a lot of run down, poor parts to the town. We bought lunch at McDonald’s then stopped in the ABC store and picked up a couple of bottles of liquor. It was good to get out again.

When we got back, there were several cars parked at the lodge. We thought it had opened but it was probably the officers who were meeting to discuss the best way to open the lodge, given the restrictions the state is putting on businesses. They were gone by 5 p.m.

14 May 2020 (Thu) – We bought breakfast at Chick-fil-A, then went to the laundromat, put the clothes in the washers, and sat in the truck to eat our meal. Clothes transferred from washer to dryer, we remained seated in the truck until it was done. One of the machines did not fully dry all the clothes and we put them back in for another 12 minutes. They still came out damp but we just took them home and spread them out to air dry.

When we pulled into the lodge parking lot, the neighbor’s dog was running loose (again). It had managed to slip out of its harness and was exploring our campsite. I chased it back to their RV. The lady didn’t even know the dog had escaped.

13 May 2020 (Wed) – We drove back to the Riverwalk this morning and had breakfast at Another Broken Egg Café. We were the only people on the deck when we arrived but were joined by other couples as they arrived and chose to eat outside, too. The meal was excellent and Bonnie especially enjoyed her scrambled egg. When we were done, we walked the Riverwalk to the end and back. There was a visitor’s center on the route and Paul stopped in to get some brochures on the area. Unfortunately, they didn’t have much and the clerk wound up telling Paul to go online.

We ran out of propane two nights ago. He went out today and got a refill.

12 May 2020 (Tue) – We put Bonnie in the truck and drove to the Riverwalk. It was a very nice walk and the park was very nicely maintained and there were many people walking/running/biking on the trail. We came across Another Broken Egg (a breakfast place) along the trail. We will have to go there for breakfast. Parking is limited to just one hour so we’ll have to take a shorter walk if we stop to eat. They are pet friendly so we could bring Bonnie and let her have breakfast out, too. She’ll love that!

When we arrived back at the lodge, a red SUV turned into the parking lot in front of us, drove to the back where our RV is parked, then left. It looked like the same inspector who was here yesterday. He had another man in the car. Was this his boss on a field trip? We’ll find out.

11 May 2020 (Mon) – Another very warm day. Summer is around the corner! Someone was working around the lodge in the morning. We went food shopping this morning. We also stopped in two CVS stores to pick up hand sanitizer. We still can’t find Wet Ones (hand wipes). At least, everyone seems to have worked out the toilet paper issue as everyone has it in stock.

A man came onto our site today claiming to be an inspector with the County. Someone complained about us being here. He says there is no camping authorized here. We pointed out that the hookups are not new; that they’ve been here for many years. He dismissed our argument. We had a very pleasant conversation. He is originally from Elmira, New York and was sympathetic to our situation. When I asked if he was going to evict us, he said no. He also recommended that we take a walk along the Riverwalk on the Alabama University Campus down the road. We’ll try it tomorrow.

10 May 2020 (Sun-Mother’s Day) – The weather is getting hot. It starts out cool in the morning in the high 40s/low 50s but then the sun comes up and it burns hot. It must be because we are closer to the equator that the sun feels so intense.

Folks have been working in the Elks Lodge all day. Maybe it means the place is getting ready to open. At 5 p.m. Paul went out to Olive Garden and picked up a meal for us to share. It was delicious!

9 May 2020 (Sat) – We ran out of milk today. We walked next door to the Dollar General and picked up a quart of milk. All the stores in the strip mall were open. When we drove into town the other day, Paul noted that the mall was open. JC Penny’s was not open but the rest of the mall was. Guess the state is starting to open up. People are demonstrating in other states and a woman was arrested for opening her hair salon in spite of state directed orders to remain closed. It’s starting to get hairy out there!

We have been going back and forth with Jon Katin of the SMART Travel Committee. They want us to put a cost to the NY caravan. Most of the campgrounds don’t open until Memorial Day and many websites just say they are closed due to the pandemic. They offer no information on prices. We will have to wait until we can physically get up to New York to get the costs. In the meantime, we have developed a caravan for 8 days in Reading, PA for the WWII Reenactment. I sent that to Jon. He is afraid that there are not enough travelers to fill all the caravans that being offered (5 of them). How funny is that? They were concerned about getting enough caravans and wagon masters to offer caravans. Now, they’re afraid they can’t fill them all.

8 May 2020 (Fri) – It rained most of the day. Paul picked up dinner from the Olive Garden tonight. It was a pleasant change. The food was good. I finished the slideshow. Once Paul has had a look at it, I’ll start one for 2017.

7 May 2020 (Thu) – I think I am living Groundhog Day. The past three mornings I have gotten up, the clock has read the exact same time: 6:54 a.m. Weird, huh? I have just about finished the slideshow for our 2016 travels.

6 May 2020 (Wed) – We went out early this morning to do laundry. There were already a couple of people in the laundromat. After putting the wash in the machines, we sat in the car and ate our Chick-Fil-A breakfasts. Then we went in to put the clothes in the dryer, then sat in the car playing with our iPad and iPhone. When the laundry was done, we stopped at CVS on the way home to pick up hand sanitizers. We both went in and got one bottle each.

Two dogs from the neighbor came into our campsite this afternoon and left deposits. I had had enough!

I walked over and asked the lady to please keep their dogs on a leash. I was pleasant; said “Please” and “Thank You” but was firm. She said they run out when she opens the door. I asked that she not let them do that. Let’s see if my request holds.

5 May 2020 (Tue) – Since I have to sign for my medicine and UPS would be delivering it to the lodge, I sat outside all morning waiting for the truck to arrive. At noon, two jets screamed overhead twice. They were part of the Thunderbirds/Blue Angel Thank You tour they are doing around the country to show support for all the medical people who have worked so hard during this coronavirus pandemic. I don’t know why we only got two planes when they usually fly in a group of five.

Finally, at 1:00 pm, Paul drove to the local Mexican restaurant and picked up lunch for us. Since it was Cinco de Mayo, we celebrated with margaritas and burritos. While Paul was out, the UPS truck arrived. I got my medicine, Paul returned with the food, and everything was fine.

Our neighbor, whom we thought was leaving, is still here with his wife. I guess they just went through spring cleaning around his rig. They remain aloof and unfriendly.

4 May 2020 (Mon) – We went food shopping at Winn Dixie this morning. Besides the cashier, there were very few people wearing masks. Boy. I don’t know how people can work in those things all day long. It gets so hot and mine keeps sliding up into my eyes. I think my mask is too big for my face.

I called Memorial Sloan Kettering this afternoon and ordered a refill for my medication. They said they would overnight the refill to me.

3 May 2020 (Sun) – We tried walking a new route this afternoon. We crossed the road onto a small country road that parallels the main road as well as the train tracks. It has less traffic. We came to an intersection and turned right, intending to go to a park just up the road. Unfortunately, it is still closed. The entire walk was about half an hour. As long as our usual walk but not as intense. The hill had a more gentle slope that the hills into either the apartment complex or the Elks lodge.

2 May 2020 (Sat) – Our neighbor is still here. We thought sure that he would leave today but he hasn’t. His wife is still here with their 3 dogs. One dog keeps getting loose and running over to our area. It wants to play with Bonnie so badly. I feel sorry for it. I also feel angry at the couple that can’t seem to get their dog under control. This lodge is on a very busy road and if their dog chooses to run to the road instead of over to us, it will not survive the experience.

1 May 2020 (Fri) – We see that our camper’s wife is here. Maybe she came to help him pack up. He had a motorcycle which he took away in his work truck and did not bring back. We never saw him ride it so maybe it was borrowed from someone at work or he was just holding it for someone.

30 Apr 2020 (Thu) – We drove into town today to get pet food. While out, we stopped for lunch at McDonald’s then picked up bourbon and “43” at the liquor store.

The other camper parked here in the parking lot of the Elks Lodge is packing up. We’re guessing his work assignment is up and he is leaving tomorrow.

I paid bills this afternoon. I also have been working on gathering input for the Nomads chapter newsletter as well as still collecting pictures for a slideshow of our 2016 travels.

29 Apr 2020 (Wed) – Took two walks along our usual route. Got in 2 miles plus whatever else we put in while watching the cat play outside.

28 Apr 2020 (Tue) – The Exalted Ruler of the Lodge stopped by today. I was outside watching Sheba when a van pulled up to the dumpster and the guy got out to put garbage in the dumpster. I waved so that the man would know I was watching him. He got back in the van and drove over. It turned out he was the ER. He introduced himself and said he appreciated our offer to paint the lines in the parking lot but they already were working on having somebody do that. He did give Paul permission to take down some piping they had put up a couple of years ago for a fair. It took Paul all of a half hour to do that project.

I started my next video project by putting all our pictures from 2016 into a slide show. We have been to many places!

27 Apr 2020 (Mon) – Our big adventure to Piggly Wiggly was a disappointment. The store appears to be big but there selections were small and they carried a lot of unknown brands. We had to finish off our shopping list at Winn Dixie.

After dropping off the foodstuff at the RV, we went to the laundromat and got our clothes washed. And such was our big day in town.

26 Apr 2020 (Sun) – The lodge secretary was helping a member today. She saw me sitting outside in the camp chair and drove over to introduce herself. Her 90-year old mother was visiting from upstate New York when the virus hit so she is still here in a very extended visit.

Sheba certainly is enjoying all the time she gets outside. With us home all the time now, Bonnie and Sheba get lots of outdoor time.

25 Apr 2020 (Sat) �� Still hunkered down. Noah called this morning to say thanks for his books. I bought him 3 books because Travis said he would like them. Apparently he had one of that type and just tore through it. He does love to read! The books are called “Everything You Want to Know About . . .” then there was “Math,” “English,” and “History.” I also bought books for Hudson and Lincoln. I also bought their parents ink and paper in order to be able to continue entertaining/home schooling the kids.

I am surprised by how cool the weather remains. I thought that Alabama was one of those hot southern states. It’s been in the high 40s, low 50s every morning. Doesn’t get up past the 70s. Although the sun burns hot on your skin. I guess it has to do with being closer to the equator.

24 Apr 2020 (Fri) – Nothing much going on. Noah, our grandson, has learned how to call us on FaceTime. He calls between 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. to talk about whatever he’s doing. He’s such a happy, upbeat personality. I love talking to him. He makes me laugh so much.

23 Apr 2020 (Thu) – Thunderstorms came in last night. There is so much rain here. There are flash flood warnings everywhere. Luckily, we are on high ground with no water bodies nearby so we don’t have to worry about that. I am surprised that with all the rain, there aren’t more puddles. They have an incredible drainage system in the area.

22 Apr 2020 (Wed) – We had rain a good part of the day. Hunkering down for rain tonight. Thunderstorms are on the way again. These storms seem to roll through about every 3 or 4 days.

21 Apr 2020 (Tue) – Nothing happening here. Took our daily walk. Talked with our son and his family. Noah has learned how to dial us up on FaceTime and calls when the urge grabs him. He is so funny. I thoroughly enjoy his calls.

20 Apr 2020 (Mon) – Another storm system came through yesterday. It rained for 20 hours. I usually enjoy thunderstorms. I like to watch the lightning flash in the sky and feel the rumbling of thunder in my bones. But these storms come with warnings of tornados and that scares me. Of all the weather systems that can happen, tornados scare me the most. I tried calling Malissa from the lodge but her phone kept saying the person “is not accepting calls at this time.” That was very unsettling. She is proving to be a very unreliable person. She said she would come down on Tuesday to cook a dinner but never showed. That was the second time she did that. And then not being available when a potential emergency was looming? Hmmmm. Fortunately, no tornados came our way.

We went into town today to get pet food at Pet Smart. Then we drove around looking for a Piggly Wiggly but wound up shopping at a Publix. They have traffic signs on the floor directing one way movement in the aisles. There was also a thick Plexiglas sheet between the cashier and customers. This is a new world. Next time we’ll shop at a Piggly Wiggly. The excitement of new adventures! We stopped at a Taco Casa for lunch. The food wasn’t bad but I think I like Taco Bell better.

The man from Wyoming left. I guess that when I told him someone from the lodge would be down to open up the building in the event of a tornado watch, he was scared off – either because he realized his free stay was over or he just didn’t want to endure a tornado.

There is a residential area behind us on the other side of bushes and fences. One of the neighbors had a party Saturday night. They barbecued food, played games, listened to music, and just plain had a great time with family and friends. People are really starting to defy stay-in-place orders. There were lots of cars on the road when we drove around today. Paul thought it was because it was later in the day (we usually go out first thing in the morning). Maybe.

19 Apr 2020 (Sun) – We watched the church service back home in Islip this morning. A very talented young man, Christian, played the trumpet. It was mesmerizing! I am glad they have been able to set up these digital services.

We were able to FaceTime with our son, Travis, and his family. Noah is just the happiest and most lively child. He always makes me giggle. Hudson wants to talk but gets embarrassed and doesn’t know what to say. He has to be drawn out and given prompting. What a difference between the two boy’s personalities. I am looking forward to discovering Lincoln.

Miranda sent a picture of Caiden with a missing tooth. He lost his first tooth. Unfortunately, he swallowed it while eating a PBJ sandwich. I remember swallowing a tooth while eating watermelon.

18 Apr 2020 (Sat) – I got a message from CVS in Valrico, Florida, yesterday saying that Paul’s prescription was ready for pickup. I called and arranged to transfer it to the CVS right by us here in Alabama. We got a text message an hour later saying his prescription was all set. We drove to the store and got his medications, then had lunch at Bojangles. Picked up our order at the drive thru and brought it home.

We haven’t seen anything of our new neighbor. He has a motorcycle rather than a car in tow and it’s been gone every day, all day. With everything closed, I wonder where he goes. His RV is in really bad condition. It is clear that he does not have a lot of money. We think he pulled in here and stayed longer than he said he was going to because it’s free (he was just looking for a place to pull over for the night). There is no one here to collect any money.

Paul’s sister, Joan, called today. We did Facetime with them. Joan & Peter are in the RV boondocking with her son’s family; Adam, Diane, and Devin (and the dogs). Adam gave us a 360 degree shot of the surrounding area. There are a few RVs parked out there in the desert. It is the epitome of social isolation.

Another weather system is headed this way tomorrow. It will start in the morning but the worst part won’t hit until the late afternoon/early evening. I hope Malissa is around to let us in the lodge. She has proven to be a less than reliable person.

17 Apr 2020 (Fri) – We went out early this morning to do laundry. Nobody in the laundromat was wearing a mask except us. I can’t figure this out. The folks in the post office were mad at me for not wearing a mask. The people in the grocery story were a mixed group – some wearing masks and some not. Nobody in the laundromat was wearing a mask. It is very confusing.

16 Apr 2020 (Thu) – We ran out of propane during the night so we went out to buy some. While we were out, we stopped at Wendy’s for lunch. Then we drove around the nearby town of Cottondale looking at homes around Canyon Lake. It really was in a small canyon with a very small lake. The homes were all very nice; built of light colored brick.

Another camper pulled in tonight. His license plates are from Wyoming but he says he is a full-timer who does work kamping around the country. He pulled a motorcycle out of his RV, which he uses to get around. I didn’t spot anybody else with him but he put two camp chairs out. Maybe it’s an invitation for someone to join him?

15 Apr 2020 (Wed) – CVS gets their shipments on Wednesday so we went out to get some hand sanitizer today. The first CVS had none so we drove down the road to a 24-hour store and they had some. I wanted to buy two bottles but everyone is limited to one bottle per person. So I bought one and then had Paul go in to buy one. So I got my two bottles.

We also went food shopping at Winn Dixie. About half the people in the store wore masks. We wore our masks for the first time. It is very uncomfortable and keeps pushing up into my eyes. Accordingly, I kept pulling my mask down. Isn’t the drawback to wearing masks that you touch it?

13 & 14 Apr 2020 (Mon & Tue) – Just hanging out around the campground.

12 Apr 2020 (Sun – EASTER) – There was no rain when we woke this morning. We left the bedroom slide pulled in but opened up the living room and kitchen. The animals – Sheba in particular – are distressed with the rooms are pulled in. I guess they don’t like change. We took a walk in the morning then hunkered down waiting for the storms hit in the afternoon.

At about 5:30 pm, the possibility of tornados was being reported on the weather channel. We called Malissa from the Elks Lodge and she came down to open up the building. She and her boyfriend, David, Paul and I along with Bonnie and Sheba all sat inside watching the weather channel for an hour. Finally, the weatherman indicated that tornadic activity was calming down as far as what was headed in our direction. We returned to the camper and Malissa and David went home. An hour later, Malissa called to say they were on the way back to the lodge because a tornado was on the ground. The news said nothing about it. We grabbed the animals and our go bag and ran to the lodge amid fire sirens going off and my phone beeping in with warnings to find shelter immediately. The sky opened up and it rained so hard, you couldn’t see the camper from the deck of the lodge. A tornado touched down about 13 miles north of us in a mobile home park (they always go for the trailers!). After two hours, the news (again) said there were no more tornados headed in our direction. With that, we said good night and returned to the trailer. It was an exciting night.

11 Apr 2020 (Sat) – We took our walk around the usual route twice today. For dinner, Paul ran out and picked up KFC. We are preparing for severe thunderstorms and a possible tornado tomorrow. Paul will pull in the slides tonight and park the truck under some trees to minimize hail damage.

10 Apr 2020 (Fri) – We drove to the post office first thing this morning. We arrived at 8:15 a.m. only to discover that they didn’t open until 9:00 a.m. We then took a quick trip to a nearby bank to get some money at the ATM. It is amazing how little we think of all the things we touch in a day. Now that we are so much more aware of infection, every little thing seems like a threat – doorknobs, countertops, desks, keypads, shopping bags, money, etc. It’s become a very scary world!

9 Apr 2020 (Thu) - It was another trip to the outside world today. We needed to send off an Easter package to the grandkids so it was a stop at the post office. That was an adventure in itself. There was a long line of people waiting to get in. It looked longer than it actually was because people were leaving 6 to 8 feet between them and the person in front of them. There were 9 people in front of us. The line moved very slowly and it was a half hour before we got to the desk. There was only one clerk working. She explained that one of the employees caught the virus so they shut the place down. All the meters and registers were off. She was working with something like a smart phone. Nothing could be metered. She could only accept flat rate items and she could not accept cash; payment by card only. I got to send off the two packages but was not able to mail off our taxes.

We stopped at CVS and Walgreens to see if they had any hand sanitizer. Neither did. There were some food trucks out so we stopped for lunch at a Mexican Taco truck. The food was terrible and they used the wrong kind of cheese. We won’t do that again! While out, we also stopped at an ABC Store – a state run liquor store. Actually, two stores. The first store only had one bottle of Red Stag and no 43. The owner called over to another store and found they had what we wanted so we drove there and bought another bottle of Red Stag and a bottle of 43.

At 6 p.m., we fired up the iPad and tuned into the Islip Methodist Church Maundy Thursday service. There was only the pastor, the organist, and our cousins – Lee and Donna – performing the service. It was communion so we poured some wine and broke off some bread and followed along with the service. It seemed weird to be reading the response while sitting in our living room.

8 Apr 2020 (Wed)

– We stayed in today. I counted the cars on one of the freight trains that go by every day. There were a hundred cars on it. It’s amazing that so many of those very heavy cars can be moved at one time.

7 Apr 2020 (Tue) – We ventured out today. First stop was at the laundromat to put the laundry in the wash. Next stop was at Winn Dixie where we picked up groceries. We went back to the trailer to put away the food. Then it was back to the laundromat to move the wash to the dryers. We then went to Chick-Fil-A for a late breakfast. Then it was back to the laundromat to collect our clothes. Paul brought in a wipe and wiped down the table we folded the clothes on. We put on gloves everywhere we went but we did not wear face coverings. Last night, President Trump asked the nation to voluntarily wear face masks to continue fighting the coronavirus. The number of infections are falling, thanks to the people who are complying with the CDC guidance to self-isolate (most states have imposed lockdowns and curfews), practice social distancing, and wash your hands. Over a million people have been infected worldwide with thousands of deaths. It is amazing how infectious this virus is. It is in 184 countries now. The world truly is a mobile place.

6 Apr 2020 (Mon) – UPS delivered my medicine from New York today. I put a sign on the mailbox telling the UPS driver to bring the package to us in the RV. Paul happened to be up on the roof when the driver pulled in and waved the guy over. He spent several minutes arguing with me about why he shouldn’t give me the package. It was addressed to the Elks, but my name was also on the envelope. He told me he was supposed to give it to the lodge, not us in back. If we need to have mail sent to us here, we should ask the lodge to assign us a lot number. After going back and forth, he finally gave me the package. When I said I was supposed to sign for it, he said they are not allowing anyone to touch the pad. He signed for me.

As I was sitting outside waiting for the UPS driver to arrive, someone from the lodge drove over to check on us. She said they were going to have wings and beer tomorrow. I told her we would have some, too. Weird. Aren’t they supposed to remain closed with the 24-hour curfew in place?

5 Apr 2020 (Sun) – We tuned in on Facebook and watched the church service back home in Islip. The picture was dark like they didn’t turn the lights on. Maybe they’re trying to save money.

3 Apr 2020 (Fri) – We opened the package my sister sent. It included mostly supplements I had ordered and sent to her because UPS won’t deliver to us here. She repacked my orders and sent them in one big box.

Paul took the fifth-wheel hitch off and worked on sanding it. He’ll repaint it and make it look all nice again. I worked on getting our taxes done.

2 Apr 2020 (Thu) – We drove to the UPS store to pick up a package my sister mailed to us. We placed it in the bed of the pick up to sit overnight. We will open it tomorrow.

Since we were out already, we stopped at Freddy’s for lunch. It was ok. After we got our food at the drive-up window, we parked and walked over to their outside tables to eat our meal. There was a sign on the table saying that their outside dining area was closed. We walked back and sat in the truck to eat.

After lunch, we drove to three different liquor stores looking for our favorite liquor. They were all small and had none of our choices in their selection. The bigger stores are the ABC Liquor Stores but they are all closed. We think they are state run. We will have to make do with the wine we can pick up in the supermarket until things open up again.

At 6 p.m. I called a nearby Mexican restaurant to order a meal for pick up. The website said that due to the volume of calls they get, they added a second number. They failed to say that second number was at another location. When Paul drove to the restaurant, they did not have our order. After he left, apparently that restaurant called their other site and found our call had gone there. We worked out the misunderstanding, replaced our order, and was able to pick it up. Besides the food, we got a half gallon of margaritas. A bottle of Jose Cuervo and a container of margarita mix were included in the order. It looks like we could probably get 8 glasses out of it!

1 Apr 2020 (Wed) – Just hung out today. Took two walks along our now familiar circle of across the parking lot of the lodge, across the parking lot of the strip mall next door, up the hill around the apartment complex, and back to the camper.

31 Mar 2020 (Tue) – We ventured out today wearing plastic gloves. Didn’t see many people with face masks. Went food shopping at Winn Dixie. They have designated 7 to 8 a.m. for seniors and 8 to 9 a.m. for first responders. There was no one at the door checking IDs so I guess anyone could go in if they want to. Then we drove to Pet Smart for pet food. Next door was The Fresh Market. We went in to get some fresh produce. On the way back, we stopped at a CVS. Everywhere we go, I look for hand sanitizer but we can’t find any – all sold out. I wound up buying a nasal saline wash. Each time we go out, we will use the nasal wash and gargle with salt water.

30 Mar 2020 (Mon) – It rained most of the day. We finally finished scanning all the photo albums into the computer. The trains riding by blow their whistles and fill me with longing to move on. We have been here now for 14 days. The governor of Alabama instituted a 24 hour curfew. Apparently, the 10 p.m. curfew didn’t work. Teenagers were hanging out at gas stations since the bars are closed. Someone got shot so now everyone is in lockdown. Crazy!

29 Mar 2020 (Sun) – Adventure abounds! I have just returned from two days in the hospital. What happened, you ask? Well, let me tell you.

We were hiking in the woods at Harris Lake in Tuscaloosa. We were about a mile in on the trail, stopped at a dam and sitting by the stream. I suddenly got very shaky, my vision dimmed, and I complained of a severe headache. Paul tells that I then lost my memory. I had no idea where we were, where we have been, or even that there is a virus ravaging the country.

We hiked back out of the woods (I don’t remember any of it), got in the truck, and drove to the nearest hospital. I “came to” during the ride in the truck where Paul was telling me I had an episode. He thought I had a stroke. First stop was at a VA hospital but they didn’t have an emergency room so we were directed to a civilian hospital down the road.

There was a person sitting at a desk outside the entrance to the emergency room dressed in a gown, cap, gloves, and mask. She put me in a wheelchair and brought me inside. Paul was not allowed to enter the hospital. After being checked in at the desk, I was wheeled into the emergency room. Almost all of the staff was gowned and wearing face masks. They drew blood and sent me for a chest x-ray and found nothing. The doctor wanted an MRI but they couldn’t get me scheduled until the next day so I agreed to be admitted for the night. Paul was still not allowed in the hospital so the staff advised him of what was happening.

The experience in the hospital was unsettling. First, I was placed in a room all by myself. The doors to all rooms on the floor were kept closed at all times. Only one staff person at a time was allowed in patient rooms and contact was kept to a minimum. I spent hours behind closed doors feeling like I had been forgotten about. I got an MRI of the brain and they took more blood. A doctor came by to say everything was normal and left to see when the neurologist was going to come by. Next thing I knew, a nurse came in and said I was being sent for an ultrasound of the carotid arteries. The nurse said I was also scheduled for an echo cardiogram but she didn’t know when it would happen. It turned out later that it would be the next day so I had to stay another night in the hospital.

At 6:00 a.m. this morning, they took me down for the cardiogram. A neurologist and his P.A. showed up later to say all the tests returned normal. There was nothing on the brain MRI, the EKG, the cardiogram, the x-ray, or the bloodwork to explain what happened. The good news was that there is nothing big that is wrong with me. It’s possible I suffered a TIA, which, as he explained it, is a kind of catch all diagnosis when they don’t really know what happened. He recommended that I follow up with a neurologist and a cardiologist after I get out of the hospital.

I was finally given the all clear and discharged at 2 p.m. Paul had to pull up to the entrance (all entrances were closed except one), check in with the security guard, call up to the room to tell me he was there, then wait for me to be brought out. I then had to call the nurse’s desk and ask for a transporter to take me downstairs. It took more than half an hour for someone to show up. Paul was entertained while he waited for me. A guy came out of the hospital to get some food from a truck parked outside. When he tried to go back into the hospital, the security guard refused to let him in. Yelling and shouting ensued. People showed up and the crowd grew as the guy tried to get back into the hospital. Apparently, he was a patient and kept yelling he was not going to stay. Finally, a supervisor came out and allowed the man in. A few minutes later, he exited the hospital with his belongings. They don’t fool around down here!

When I was wheeled out, I told Paul not to touch me. I had instructed him to spray the seat with Lysol before I sat down. When we got back to the trailer, I stripped naked standing outside in front of the stairs then went directly into the shower. While I scrubbed down, Paul washed my clothes and sprayed down my purse and shoes. I hope we got all the spores I might have brought back with me. Only time will tell. It is good to be home.

26 Mar 2020 (Thu) – There are some railroad tracks across the road from the lodge. Several freight trains roll by every day. I saw an Amtrak passenger train barrel through one day. I don’t know if they go by on a regular basis. I guess they do. I just don’t see them. I hear the train whistles and rumbles often.

There is a small strip mall with six shops next door. The only shop open is Subway. Next to that is a small child care center. It was closed when we first arrived but there were children in there today. I don’t know if they have reopened or if they are only watching children of health care workers. They were all little tykes, somewhere between 2 and 5.

Next to the child care center and up a small hill is an apartment complex. At least once a day, we walk past the shops and child care center, up the hill, and around the parking lot of the complex. I don’t think it amounts to more than a total of one mile but at least it’s a little bit of exercise.

The name of the child care center is Little Roll Tide Academy. There are a lot of businesses around here with the word “Tide” in them. Apparently, the U of Alabama has a team called Crimson Tide and the team chant is Roll Tide. I don’t get it but then again, I don’t live here or go to the games. I guess the locals find it reassuring.

25 Mar 2020 (Wed) – Paul read that Winn Dixie is restricting the first hour to shopping by senior citizens. He thought the time was 7 to 8 a.m. but when we got there, it turned out to be 8 to 9 a.m. So we drove down to a laundromat and threw the laundry in the machines. What a rip off! The machines were $4.50 each, but another $0.50 for hot water for the whites. Then the dryers were $0.25 for six minutes. I think it was the smallest load we’ve ever washed for the most money. One washer wound up sucking our money and we had to spend another $5.00. The attendant couldn’t do anything about it. She is not authorized to give refunds.

Between washing and drying, we went to Winn Dixie for groceries. There were a few seniors there when we went in - most of them wearing face masks. The shelves were, for the most part, well stocked. The cleaning aisle was half empty and the cashier was limiting purchases to either Lysol spray or Clorox wipes but not both. They had no hand sanitizer.

We also stopped in to Walgreens so I could get batteries for my hearing aid. They had no hand sanitizer either.

24 Mar 2020 (Tue) – It turns out the lilac tree is wisteria and it is growing all over the place. Looks so nice. It is tough to just sit here day in and day out. There is no sidewalk on the highway so we can’t take long walks. Even Bonnie is getting bored with walking circles around the parking lot. Paul looked up a nearby park but when we drove there, we found it closed. I went to Trip Advisor and found a county park then I called to be sure they were open and dogs were allowed. The answer was YES to both. We drove a half hour to Lake Lurleen State Park. It has 1,625 acres of hiking trails, camping, and water activities (but no boat rentals for now). We walked a trail. Bonnie lasted about 25 minutes then got too tired to go on (we were on a 4-mile loop trail). It was nice to get out in the woods and smell the pine and hear the birds.

On the way back, we stopped for lunch at Bojangles (a chicken place). We both had fried chicken and fries. The times, they are a-getting’ desperate!

23 Mar 2020 (Mon) – There is a beautiful lilac tree in the back of the parking lot next door. The trees are starting to bud. Spring is not affected by the virus. Luckily, neither are we. The statistics say that Alabama is the third lowest state to have the virus, so it is a good place to be. I pray for our friends and family every day. It is maddening not to be there to watch over them.

22 Mar 2020 (Sun) – Well, we finished up the Longmire series. Now we will start watching the videos we have been carrying around with us. Some are good; some not so good.

21 Mar 2020 (Sat) – We are binge watching the Longmire series. We bought the entire six seasons a few weeks ago and will now finish it off. Other than that, it’s watching the daily news briefings about the coronavirus on TV, walking the dog, and hanging out. Cabin fever is already starting to set in.

20 Mar 2020 (Fri) – We ventured out to shop today. First, we went to Vowells Fresh Market. The produce seemed old. Many of the shelves were empty, especially the cleaning supplies aisle. We both wore plastic gloves. The cashier did not have any gloves on. I thanked her for working during this crisis. She admitted she is very scared.

We then drove to the nearby grocery, The Fresh Market. It was more like the health food stores back home. It had a fresher, better stocked look to it. The produce was fresh and most of the shelves were full. There was a delightful deli section with salads. That cashier wasn’t wearing any gloves either. I guess they’re not as concerned here.

After shopping, we drove around the area to see what stores are around. There are quite a few. This is a built up area and it doesn’t look like we will have any problems shopping for what we need. I stopped in a GNC shop looking for zinc sulfate and nasal saline but they had neither. We also stopped at a CVS but they didn’t have any either. One of the clerks was wearing a mask and gloves. Made me feel a little more justified for our caution. Silly, isn’t it?

We have been watching the daily news briefings by the Coronavirus Task Force. Each day, more action is being taken to try to counter the spread of the virus. It is amazing how far and wide this thing has spread around the world. It will have to run its course. I initially thought it would go away when the warm weather arrived but it’s starting to look like that won’t happen. They’re predicting it will take 18 months to clear up. They also revealed that men have twice the mortality rate as women for those who have died. How depressing!

19 Mar 2020 (Thu) – It was a quiet day. I would have preferred to stay in the Army Corps of Engineers campground in Montgomery among the moss covered trees and the lazy river. It would have been more in commune with nature. Instead, we are camped in a parking lot at a closed lodge on a busy highway. At least there are several stores close by. On one side is a small strip mall with a Subway, an insurance company, a nail salon, and a child care center. On the other side is a larger mall with a grocery store called Vowells Fresh Market. Next to that is another supermarket called The Fresh Market. On the corner at the traffic light is a Walgreens and across the street is a Winn Dixie and a CVS. There are some eateries and other small businesses. Many of the small businesses have signs on the door that say they are closed until March 31. The news said Governor Cuomo in New York has directed ALL nonessential businesses to close for two weeks. That means Travis & Sam and Miranda & Kenny are out of work. Well, maybe not Kenny. He works at a beer distributor that also sells food. Maybe they will stay open. What a mess!

18 Mar 2020 (Wed) – We called the campground to see if we could extend our stay for two weeks only to be told the campground is closed. Everyone is being allowed to stay when they paid through to, but then must leave. No extensions. Since today was our check out date, we were literally kicked out.

We packed up and left Montgomery at 9:45 a.m. The drive was pleasant and uneventful. We arrived at the Elks Lodge in Tuscaloosa at 12:15 p.m. There are 9 campsites along the site of the lodge on the grass with full hookups. Unfortunately (or fortunately, however you look at it), there was a sign on the door that says the lodge is closed until further notice. This is in line with all the other notices that have been flooding my phone for days. Schools are closed, restaurants are only serving take out, colleges have switched to online classes, all federal and most state campgrounds are closed, and some states have called out the National Guard to help with the crisis. Today, the president invoked the Defense Production Act, an act of wartime activity. It authorizes him to have manufacturing ramp up to make required products to combat an enemy. In this case, the corona virus. It’s crazy!

17 Mar 2020 (Tue) – Took a quick foray out to get fuel in the truck. On the way back, we stopped at a fruit and vegetable stand to pick up a few things. The man staffing the small booth was very old with just a few teeth. He had a heavy southern accent and was hard to understand. I bought 2 oranges, 2 sweet potatoes, and a watermelon.

At the entrance to the road leading to the campground stands a Dollar General store. We stopped in there and found toilet paper on the shelf. We picked up a pack as well as a few other items then returned to the campground. Later, we cooked burgers and corn on the cob for dinner and sat by a delightful fire as the sun set. What a great campground this is! The lazy river drifts by, the trees are covered in Spanish moss, and there are lots of trees and few campers. We could spend the next month here.

16 Mar 2020 (Mon) – Johnny & Linda packed up and left this morning. It seems empty now. We are just sitting around listening to the birds and watching the lazy river drift by. I know we are safe from the craziness of the coronavirus panic going on elsewhere in the world, but it kind of feels surreal. Kind of like we are the survivors of an apocalyptic event. We are the only survivors and we have run away to a safe place to hide from the zombies. That’s what we get for watching all those science fiction movies for years.

15 Mar 2020 (Sun) – Linda made pancakes and sausage for breakfast. Then we went into Prattville for lunch at Hooters. Johnny has a hood of a race car (it’s really a plastic replica) where he has gone around to different Hooters and gotten the girls to sign it. So he brought the hood in and had the girls all sign it. They started out hesitant to do it but by the end of lunch, they were all enthusiastic and amused by his project. I didn’t care much for their food but the margarita was good.

Back at the campground, Linda again cooked the meal of the day. She prepared wild rice with chicken and corn on the cob. Our visit with them has been a lot of fun and we look forward to seeing them in New York this summer.

14 Mar 2020 (Sat) – Linda made tacos for lunch. I made steak, baked potatoes, and grilled asparagus for dinner. We are enjoying each other’s company so much. We just hung out around the campground today and delighted in God’s country.

13 Mar 2020 (Fri) – Linda made Cady Lake Hash for breakfast. It’s like our frittatas. You take whatever left-overs you have in the fridge and cook them up with eggs. It is very good.

After much discussion, we all decided to go to Alabama to camp out. It is one of the few states that has not reported a coronavirus infection. Johnny & Linda fell in behind us and we headed out to Gunter Hill Campground, an Army Corps of Engineers park. I don’t know if it is related to the virus hysteria or they were doing repairs, but the three rest areas we wanted to stop at were all closed. We finally pulled into a travel plaza to stretch out legs and walk the dogs.

We arrived at the campground around 1:30 p.m. We are both parked in the same site but it has two hookups. We have water and electric, with a dump station somewhere on the grounds. We are right on a river front. With the moss covered trees, the meandering waterway, and lots of room between campers, it feels like we are in another world. It is peaceful and remote.

At 3 p.m., Paul and I drove to the Maxwell-Gunter AFB nearby to get some groceries at the commissary. It was a surreal experience. All the shelves were half empty. There was no toilet paper, no tissues, no Vitamin C, and no hand sanitizer (I still don’t get the run on toilet paper). The line went across the front of the store, up the side aisle, and down the back side. We were on line for 45 minutes. And this was the commissary on a base with only military folks! I hate to imagine what WalMart or Publix looks like.

We enjoyed wine at our campsite last night, all talking and solving the problems of the world. Johnny & Linda will be here with us for three nights before heading back home. We wanted to stay a week but they only had five days available. It is a very nice campground.

1 note · View note